Researchers in Sweden said Friday they had developed a new medicine to protect bees from diseases that kill entire populations of the insect in the US and Europe.

A team of microbiologists at Lund University have patented the treatment, known as SymBeeotic -- made from lactic acid bacteria from the stomachs of healthy bees -- which they described as a major "boost" to bees' immune system and are hopeful that it could slow down the rate at which bees are dying.